The present invention is a tow shield and underskirt device for protecting both a towed vehicle and the towing vehicle from deflected road debris and more particularly to a universally sized tow shield device that can be removably attached to the rear of the towing vehicle and the front of the towed vehicle.
It is common to tow a vehicle, such as a car or trailer, from one location to another by pulling it behind a leading vehicle. In the towing process, debris, including rocks, roadside trash, mud, snow, water, salt, tar, grease, oil, engine exhaust, diesel soot and hydraulic fluid, is generally deflected from the towing/leading vehicle toward the towed/trailing vehicle, subjecting the towed vehicle to possible damage.
With an increase in the number of large recreational vehicles (RV's) in use, towing problems have recently gained more attention. RV travelers frequently tow a smaller vehicle behind their RV to use for local transportation. When reaching a destination, typically the RV is parked and hooked up to utilities, while the smaller vehicle is unhitched and prepared for use.
On long trips, these vehicles spend a great deal of time in-tow, where marring and costly damage can occur. The towing vehicle and tow bar can also incur costly damage from the deflected debris.
Not only can deflected dirt and debris cause damage to both vehicles, but they can also create layers of road grime on the exposed surfaces of the vehicles, making it necessary to continually clean the vehicles over the course of a trip. When traveling, such measures can be inconvenient and are most certain to be always unwelcome.
It is not uncommon for RV travelers to hitch and unhitch the smaller, towed vehicle on a frequent basis. Therefore, a heavy or bulky deflector that requires a time-consuming removal/installation process can frustrate the user and ultimately discourage unhitching of the towed vehicle for local use.
Furthermore, the cumbersome nature of many rigid deflectors can contribute to the difficulty of storing the tow bar and the deflector. In most campgrounds and RV parks, space is at a premium. As a result, the length of an available parking space may be limited. To fit into a shorter space, it is often necessary to uncouple the tow bar which can then be conveniently stored by sliding it under the rear of the RV. A rigid deflector mounted on the tow bar can impede this convenient storing arrangement.
Many deflectors adapted for attachment to the tow bar have a reduced effectiveness when the trailing vehicle is not directly aligned with the leading vehicle, such as when turning a corner or driving on a curved road. In these instances, a reduced portion of the trailing vehicle remains positioned behind the deflector, and as a result, only a portion of the road debris being thrown toward the towed vehicle is intercepted by the deflector. Consequently, deflectors can fail to adequately deflect flying debris away from the vehicle in tow when driving around corners and curves.
In addition, rigid deflectors can interfere with the turning radius between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle. When turning, a deflector adapted to move with the towed vehicle and not the towing vehicle can abut the towing vehicle, thereby limiting the radius of the turn. Similarly, a deflector mounted to move with the towing vehicle, and not the trailing vehicle, can abut the towed vehicle to limit the sharpness of the turn.
Most deflectors are vertically disposed barriers that deflect debris hurled toward the towed vehicle and as such, also act to increase the wind resistance of the caravan. The increased wind resistance decreases the fuel efficiency of the towing vehicle, thereby increasing the amount of fuel consumption and the cost of travel.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for a tow shield device for protecting vehicles in tow that can be readily installed, removed, compacted and stored by the user. By attaching to the rear of the towed vehicle and to the front of the towed vehicle, the tow shield device of the present invention can effectively protect not only the front of the towed vehicle, but also the rear of the towing vehicle, as well as the tow bar and hitch from deflected debris and road grime.